The biggest news around here right now is the storms. It has been wet, windy, and wild. We've had thunder, lightning, hail, a lot of rain and a lot of wind. At my home we've had over five inches when I last checked last night. Local roads have been closed due to flooding and/or rock slides (Highway 128 is still closed although they think it will open this afternoon). The Navarro, Garcia and Russian rivers have all flooded at one point. Tuesday the whole coast, from Gualala south to Fort Bragg north was without electricity. Some of those areas are still without; Mendocino got power at about 1:30pm, give or take. I had power at my house near Philo on Tuesday but woke up to darkness and cold on Wednesday; it was restored before noon, however. I haven't heard of too many accidents, but last night as I drove home I passed a jacknifed big rig (we just don't get those around here!); then the Navarro grade was covered in about two inches of hail. I questioned my ability to get home, but my little car churned ahead and we made it.
As I write this it continues to pour outside. My poor dogs haven't had a decent walk since Monday - but they aren't any happier about going out in this than I am. Normally I'll hike in the rain, I have rain gear, but with the high winds I'm concerned about tree limbs falling, so I tend to stay indoors whenever possible.
Real estate is a bit slow as well, with most people turning their attention to the storms and surviving those. I had one property showing that was cancelled because of the power outage. I have other clients debating whether to leave Hawaii or extend their stay - I suggested staying until all of this passes! That's what I would do. I'm still working on market analyses for several people and I still feel strongly that this year is going to be better than 2009.
In light of that, I read this article from the LA Times about listing your house before the Superbowl. I think the key points are important, even though the author is talking about Chicago. Here's the link - http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-umberger10-2010jan10,0,4665647.story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I've had a couple of suggestions for topics, one of which is owning rental property. I am not an expert in this area, but I have been a landlord for the past twelve years and was a tenant for many years before that. So look for this in my next blog entry. I think it's timely - there are several properties in the area that would make great investments as rentals.
For local events this weekend, there is a crab feed in Fort Bragg and the Blushin' Roulettes are playing at Lauren's in Boonville.
Stay warm and dry if you can!